House fire tied to holiday lights

By Tim Richardson

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008 | 1:09 p.m.

Investigators said electrical wiring for holiday lights is likely the cause of a house fire that started Tuesday morning in the western Las Vegas Valley.

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue responded at 7:27 a.m. to the home at 7105 Carrondale Way, which is northwest of the intersection of Rainbow Boulevard and Washington Avenue. A woman and her two young grandchildren were able to escape the home and weren't injured. Damage to the home was estimated at $100,000.

Investigators said the grandmother reported that the lights inside the home began to flash, then someone knocked on the home's front door. The woman then noticed smoke in the kitchen and heard neighbors yelling that the house was on fire.

The woman returned for two girls, ages 3 and 6, and two dogs, then safely exited through the front door.

The home's garage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. One firefighter fell through a hole in the roof, but was quickly rescued and wasn't injured, fire officials said.

Investigators said the blaze likely started at an electrical outlet in the garage that contained several extension cords for holiday lighting.

"The outlet was overloaded with improper extension cords," investigators said in a news release today. "The occupant told investigators the circuit breaker to the outlet had shut off several times, but she reset it."

The family's holiday gifts weren't damaged. The garage of the one-story, single-family home was gutted and the home's interior sustained smoke damage, firefighters said.